College Reminiscings

Each year I go to the Michigan State University homecoming football game.  It is a day I look forward to with great anticipation.  Three friends and I meet in the morning, we enjoy some tailgating, watch the game, and often spend the night.  Two of my friends are ones with whom I attended college.  Because we are spread out across the state, this is an opportunity for us to catch up on our lives and we truly delight in our time together.  Personally, I also glory in my time back on that beautiful campus that is so beloved to my heart.

This year, more than any other, on the drive home I found myself thinking of the why.  Why do I love that campus so much?  Why after 20 plus years does the sight of Hubbard Hall as I drive down Hagadorn Road still make my heart rate increase?  Why do the sights and sounds of the campus still make me feel such love? I feel love on that campus.

This year, more than any other, on the drive home I found myself thinking of the what.  What is it about being here and the memory of my time on this campus that fills me with such joy?  What is it about walking along the Red Cedar River that fills my heart with such peace?  I'm home.  Part of me will always feel at home there.

Five magical years were spent on that campus. Yes. Magical.  They were magical and special and like no other years before or after.  I grew up on that campus.  I floundered on that campus.  I stumbled on that campus -- literally and figuratively.  I began to discover who I was on that campus.

As I drove home this year, I found myself reflecting in a new way about my time as a student at MSU, the relationships that formed, and the experiences that I had. What made these years so special?  What made them so magical?  What made these friendships last through the years when we often don't see each other but that one time each year?  The answer I came up with may surprise you.  Or maybe it won't.  I don't know.  Maybe you can share your own thoughts with me later...

Anyway, my answer is innocence.  We shared deeply and we loved deeply.  How many evenings turned into mornings as we talked and talked and talked?  We shared the dreams and sorrows of our hearts.  We loved to the core of our beings.  Our crushes lifted us to the highest of heights and our heartbreaks fully shattered our young hearts.  There was an innocence and beauty to this time in our lives that, I believe, we get to capture just a little bit for one day each year when we get together for that football game.

As we got older and learned more and had gained further life experience, our perspectives changed, our responsibilities changed, and some of our innocence was stripped away by the harshness of life. And that is precisely why this day with these women revitalizes me in a way that little else does.  These women knew me way back when, they knew my dreams, they knew my heart.  These women knew me when I didn't know myself and they loved me. These women know the person I have become and they love me now.

Each year I go to the Michigan State University alumni football game with three dear friends of my heart.  We reflect, we reminisce, we catch up.  Throughout that day we are able to share things that we cannot share with others because there is an innocence and familiarity and trust in these friendships.  What a gift.  And no matter what the outcome of my beloved Spartans during the game, I can't help but to feel when I am going home that I have won.

It is important to have this time together for the sweet reminder of the beauty of our young years together. And, for just a few moments, we can once again let down all those walls and barriers and just revel in the innocence and purity of these friendships with which we have been blessed.  And maybe, just maybe, with that yearly reminder of how beautiful that innocence truly is, I will allow it to flow into my grown up life and relationships.  What do you think?  Will you join me just for a moment?

Not exactly the best video, but the song suits this blog.  For Just a Moment (from St. Elmo's Fire) by David Foster:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWIMWWnkdos

Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We all have heard that over and over growing up, didn't we? And we may repeat it to our children now. But I must say that I absolutely think breakfast is the most important meal of the day when you are having it with girlfriends. I may not be the best breakfast eater here at my house, but if you throw the idea of sitting down with dear friends I can't wait for the eggs and hashbrowns!

Every couple months I am fortunate enough to meet up with some girlfriends for breakfast. When we set a date, I excitedly put it on my calendar and look forward to the time when we will sit at a booth and eat together. It is a magical time. It is an energizing time. For that hour or so around the table with girlfriends I become a better mother, a better wife, a better friend. Amazing what can happen during a meal, don't you think?

"It's just a breakfast," some of you may scoff. "What can make a bowl of cereal (or pancakes or eggs or whatever breakfast item of your choice you'd like to insert here) such a magical time?" If you were sitting at another booth and watching us you probably wouldn't see anything magical happening at all. We would appear to be just some friends sharing a meal. Well, let me take a moment to share with you the magic of breakfast with friends.

Here is the secret: we sit together and talk. Yep, that's it. Well, I guess that isn't everything, but that is the crux of our time together. We hug, we sit, we eat, we talk, we laugh, we listen, we cry, we share, we support. We talk about husbands, children, extended families. We talk about hair, weight, clothes. We talk about struggles, joys, triumphs. We talk, well, we talk about everything.

So, "where is the magic?" you ask. Did you miss it? Didn't you see it? It is that time around the table when we are talking about anything and everything that the magic happens. All of a sudden I don't feel like I'm the only one dealing with the challenges of teenagers and overworked husbands and school schedules. All of a sudden I don't feel like I'm the only one relishing the excitement of watching my child do well at a meet or the fun of randomly breaking out in dance with the kids to their favorite song.

When we are down, we are lifted up. When we are up, we share the joy. Whether we are up or down, we laugh with each other and cry with each other. As our leisurly breakfast comes to an end, we pay our bills, leave the restaurant, and embrace - each going where we need to be for the day. But as I turn to go home I am never quite the same as I was when I entered the restaurant. Something has happened. The magic of friendship and love has enveloped me and changed me. That magic energizes, encourages, and refreshes me. The magic whispers in my ear, "You are not alone. You can do it."

And this is why, my dear friends, that breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day. Maybe it is time you got out your calendar and scheduled yourself some magic today.

"A real friend is one who helps us to think our best thoughts, do our noblest deeds, and to be our finest selves." Anonymous